Etta Baker

Blues instrumentalist Etta Baker was born in North Carolina in 1913. She came from a very musical family, and as a child she learned to play the guitar, fiddle, banjo and piano, often playing with her father and sisters at picnics, parties and other social gatherings. In 1936 she married and left the music industry to raise a family. It wasn't until 1956, with her children grown, that she made her first record: five of her songs were included on a compilation album called "Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians" (Tradition Records). Almost 20 years later, in 1973, she began to perform at folk music and blues festivals and in small clubs. In 1991 she finally released her own album, "One-Dime Blues" (Rounder Records).